Look. We need to talk about the elephant in the takeout box.
Half the Chinese menu is riding on nostalgia and food coloring, while the good stuff gets ignored like that one talented cousin at family reunions. It’s time for an intervention.
These are the 17 most overrated orders that keep disappointing us – and the menu heroes we should be ordering instead. No fluff, no fake outrage – just the real talk your taste buds deserve.
1. Orange Chicken
Often soggy with syrupy glaze, orange chicken leans more candy than cuisine. It’s usually more sweet than spicy, with flavor that quickly fades.
Opt for General Tso’s if you want bold heat and crunch, or go for Chongqing chicken—fiery, fragrant, and piled with dried chilies and crispy garlic for real depth.
2. Egg Rolls
Thick, oily wrappers and bland cabbage filling can turn egg rolls into a greasy letdown. They often sit under heat lamps far too long.
Fresh spring rolls are crisp, cool, and loaded with herbs, while scallion pancakes offer chewy layers and savory crunch you won’t forget after the first bite.
3. Sweet And Sour Pork
Bright red sauce masks a chewy interior and adds little more than cloying sweetness. The balance is off, and the meat often lacks texture.
Twice-cooked pork brings smoky depth and bold, savory heat, with tender slices of pork belly and crisp vegetables bathed in a fermented bean paste sauce.
4. Crab Rangoon
Filled with cream cheese and fake crab, these fried triangles are more Midwest potluck than authentic dim sum. The shell cracks, but the flavor doesn’t land.
Steamed dumplings are soft and savory with juicy fillings, while shrimp toast delivers crispy edges and rich, briny flavor in every golden square.
5. Chop Suey
This catch-all stir-fry is often watery and bland, a jumble of overcooked vegetables and mystery sauce. It’s more about bulk than balance.
Mapo tofu brings numbing spice and silky texture with every bite, and stir-fried Chinese broccoli or pea shoots showcase the bright, earthy side of real cooking.
6. Lo Mein
Lo mein noodles are too often soft, oily, and drowning in soy sauce. They lack chew and any real spark.
Hand-pulled noodles bring bounce and character, while dan dan noodles pack spicy, tangy, umami-rich sauce that clings perfectly to every strand.
7. Moo Goo Gai Pan
This dish is mild to the point of invisibility—pale chicken, bland mushrooms, and a soupy white sauce. It’s dinner by default, not by choice.
Three-cup chicken is richer and livelier, simmered in soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil with whole garlic cloves and fresh basil.
8. Lemon Chicken
Battered and coated in neon yellow glaze, lemon chicken often tastes more like sugar than citrus. The texture turns gummy fast.
Salt and pepper chicken is crisp, fragrant, and seasoned with chilies, garlic, and scallions—more flavor, less fuss, and no sugary shortcuts.
9. Fortune Cookies
A dry crunch followed by a joke in a slip of paper is fun, but not really dessert. The flavor’s forgettable and the novelty fades.
Sesame balls offer chewy rice flour shells with sweet red bean paste, while egg tarts are warm, flaky, and filled with silky custard that melts in your mouth.
10. Beef And Broccoli
Often soft and drenched in too much soy, this standby feels more cafeteria than craveable. The broccoli is usually limp and lifeless.
Dry-fried beef is spicy, savory, and crisp-edged, while a sizzling beef platter brings that tableside drama and bold seasoning in a hot, searing dish.
11. Hot And Sour Soup (From A Buffet)
Too many buffet hot-and-sours taste flat, with rubbery tofu and one-note vinegar. It’s supposed to tingle and comfort—not confuse.
West Lake beef soup offers a delicate, silky broth studded with minced beef, egg whites, and fragrant herbs—a lighter, fresher, more refined start to any meal.
12. Kung Pao Chicken (Watered Down)
The American version lacks fire and punch, leaving behind soggy peanuts and sweet brown sauce. It’s Kung Pao in name only.
Gong Bao chicken from Sichuan delivers that perfect mix of numbing heat, tart vinegar, and crunch. It’s got personality, spice, and satisfying texture in every bite.
13. Fried Rice (With Too Much Soy Sauce)
Sometimes fried rice turns into a salty, one-note mound of mush. The ingredients blur together and the wok hei—the prized smoky flavor—is missing.
Yangzhou fried rice is bright and balanced, filled with shrimp, egg, scallions, and vegetables, letting each ingredient shine without drowning in sauce.
14. Wonton Soup (Plain Version)
The standard wonton soup can be bland broth with thin wrappers and sparse filling. It’s more warm water than warming flavor.
Sichuan wontons swim in a chili oil and soy-vinegar sauce that hits sweet, savory, and spicy all at once—comfort food with a kick.
15. General Tso’s Chicken (If It’s Gummy)
When it’s bad, it’s really bad: soggy breading, too much syrupy glaze, and no texture contrast. It loses its appeal fast.
Black pepper chicken keeps it crisp and savory with bold spice and real heat. Add onions and bell peppers, and you’ve got a dish with true bite.
16. Sesame Chicken
Sesame Chicken often entices diners with its sweet and sticky allure. However, this dish can be overly sugary and lacks depth of flavor.
Instead, try “Three Cup Chicken,” a Taiwanese delight cooked with soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine. Each ingredient sings harmoniously, offering a well-rounded and savory experience.
17. Cantonese Sweet And Sour Shrimp
Cantonese Sweet and Sour Shrimp is visually appealing but often masks the delicate taste of the shrimp with its overpowering sauce.
Consider opting for “Salt and Pepper Shrimp” instead. Lightly battered and stir-fried with garlic and chili, this dish enhances the natural sweetness of shrimp.